Rep. Liz Cheney is continuing her role as the chief spokesperson for January 6 Select Committee. However, her chances of reelection are diminishing in Wyoming. Cheney faces a serious primary challenger in the Republican primary in Wyoming on August 16, 2022. Harriet Hageman, an attorney, has prosecuted cases relating to water and natural resource issues. Her team was recruited by President Trump to run against Cheney. He endorsed her. Hageman was part of the leadership team for Cheney’s 2014 campaign for the Senate. The Hageman and Cheney families have been longtime friends.
Hageman is a campaigner who has fought a hard-fought campaign in these times. In a Club for Growth poll, Hageman led by 30 points among Republican primary voters in May. Politico reports that the polling confirms data from Club for Growth in April 2021. 52% of GOP primary voters indicated they would vote against Cheney regardless of who she was running against. Trump won the state by 16 points in 2020.
Needless to state, Cheney’s monotonous droning at the January 6 hearings on the committee is not increasing her popularity with Wyoming’s Republican primary voters. It is becoming more obvious that she doesn’t care about her own voters. How is it possible for a career politician to enrich herself by sending her children overseas to fight in futile foreign wars to keep power and relevance? Evidently, Cheney has decided to ask her political opponents for help, rather than leaving the political stage as Cheney and the current political climate suggest.
According to The New York Times Cheney’s Wyoming campaign is sending mailers instructing Democrats how to change their party affiliation in order to vote for her in the primary. Three candidates are also running for the Democratic primary. Cheney appears to be hoping for a rematch against her 2020 Democrat opponent, Lynnette Grey Bull. Cheney won the election with 68.6%. She will now need Wyoming Democrats to help win. The irony is thy nickname is Liz.
The flyer asks, “How do I change my party affiliation so that I can register as a Republican to vote for Liz?” Wyoming allows you to register for the primary until 14 days prior to the date. If you’re already registered, you can change your party affiliation or request your ballot.
Even encouraging voters to vote by mail is part of the campaign. It is not uncommon for Democrats to choose the candidate they think is most likely to win an open primary election. It is possible that Democrats did this in Georgia recently to secure the victory of Brad Raffensperger, the incumbent Secretary-of-State. Trump supporters are not fond of Raffensperger. It is not clear if expecting voters to alter their registration in order to vote in closed primaries is a winning strategy.
Cheney has a better idea. She can change her party affiliation. In the last election, she defeated the Democratic candidate. She will be able to run again against Grey Bull in the primary, and Hageman in the general election. This would be more honest. However, honesty is not Cheney’s strongest suit lately. She believes the new respect she receives from MSNBC will help her keep power.
